The Situation
You are the Master of a 1,200 GT motor yacht, 180 miles south-west of the Azores, mid-Atlantic. 0300 local. The main engines have shut down following a catastrophic seawater ingress into the fuel system; your chief engineer tells you both engines are out of commission for a minimum of six hours. A Force 9 is building from the south-west — your vessel of origin. You have no propulsion, limited manoeuvring, and the swell is pushing you onto a deteriorating beam-on attitude. Your stabilisers are hydraulic and engine-dependent. You have 12 crew and 8 guests on board.
This is your decision. What do you do?
Immediate Assessment: Distress or Urgency?
The first command decision is classification. A vessel that is disabled is not automatically in distress — but the combination of factors here (no propulsion, deteriorating weather, offshore, night, personnel on board) pushes firmly toward distress. SOLAS V/33 places the duty on the Master to render assistance; the corollary is that your own vessel has an equal right to request it. You must assess honestly whether life is in danger. If in doubt, declare distress. Delaying that declaration to protect commercial reputation or owner relationships is a command failure.
Stabilising the Vessel
Before communications, you buy time:
- Deploy a drogue or sea anchor from the bow or stern (whichever brings the better heading relative to sea and swell) to reduce drift, limit rolling, and present a more manageable aspect to any rescuing vessel.
- Order all watertight doors and hatches closed and verify bilge alarms.
- Muster crew and account for guests — initiate your SMS emergency checklist.
- Issue a navigational warning to nearby traffic via VHF Ch 16 and/or DSC even before a full distress — this is prudent seamanship.
Communications Sequence
Activate your GMDSS structure in sequence of urgency:
- DSC distress alert on VHF Ch 70 and MF/HF as range dictates — this is automatic and gives position.
- Voice MAYDAY on Ch 16 with vessel name, MMSI, position, nature of distress, persons on board, and any relevant information for rescuers.
- Activate the EPIRB manually if you have not already — do not wait for it to float free.
- Alert the flag state maritime rescue coordination centre (MRCC) and, if in coastal waters, the relevant coastal MRCC.
If the situation is not yet distress but you may need assistance, transmit PAN PAN on Ch 16. Do not under-declare and then escalate in haste.
Managing the Crew and Passengers
Muster stations are activated. Brief the chief officer on preparing survival craft — falls overhauled, SART and EPIRB to hand, immersion suits issued. Do not abandon ship until the vessel is more dangerous than the water. A disabled vessel in Force 9 is survivable; an open liferaft in Force 9 is not. The Master decides abandonment; no one else.
Assisting Vessel Coordination
When a vessel responds:
- Provide your precise position (GPS), drift vector, freeboard, and number of persons.
- Agree a lee manoeuvre — request the assisting vessel position to windward to create a partial lee for any boat transfer.
- Brief your crew on towing bridle preparation; assess whether a tow is preferable to abandonment and plan the rigging of your towing point before the vessel arrives.
Log and Documentation
Every decision, every transmission, and every order must be logged with a time. If you ultimately do not proceed to assist another vessel in distress, SOLAS V/33 requires your reasons to be recorded. The same discipline applies to your own emergency — it protects the crew, the owner, and you.